management Archives • The Engaged Spanish Classroom

4 Back to School Ideas to Engage and Get to Know Your Students

Erin Coleman — Thu, 25 Aug 2022 15:00:24 +0000

4 Back to School Resources for Spanish Class

These resources will help you get to know your students starting on day 1! My goal for the first days of school is always to involve my students as much as possible, rather than just speaking AT them about routines and procedures.

I of course cover routines and procedures… but not on the first day. On the first day, we have fun playing one of my back to school versions of Taco Tuesday, learn about culture using Calle 13’s Latinoamérica, and then a mix of the activities below!

The activities below help me get to know my students starting on the very first day. On the SECOND day of class, maybe I’ll start to review some routines, but I do that piece by piece over the first week.

Relationships come first. You matter, and your students matter. Everything else can wait.

When you’re done here:

Looking for more digital friendly ideas to start the year?

and even more ideas for the first week of school!

#1 Pasitos: Mis Fortalezas en Clase >> Interpretive ACtivity

This new interpretive activity is perfect for the first day of class in Spanish 2 and up. (Since it is completely editable, it could be adjusted to English for Spanish 1!)

It will give your students the opportunity for COMPREHENSIBLE and ACCESSIBLE input from the very first day, with low-pressure output from them which makes participation easy for all!

After reading the prompt on the screen, students take one step to the left or right to show their answer. Students who are willing can then participate aloud, if they’re ready!

This is a great way for you to get to know your different class blocks, AND to get them excited about the topics you may cover this year! It is also a great opportunity for students to reflect on their strengths and areas for improvement in Spanish class. It’s so important to have this growth mindset right from day 1. I know you and your students will love it, and again, it’s completely editable!

#2 Mano o Manos: Introducing Ourselves >> Interpretive Activity

This is another low-pressure activity that offers ALL students the opportunity and support to participate. Students again read the prompt on the screen, but instead of moving to the left or right, students are able to stay seated and raise one hand or both hands to represent their answer.

I often prompt students to hold up a fist if they have a comment to contribute (for example if they don’t agree with either answer, or if they’d like to add a third option!)

Meant for the first few days of school, great for Spanish 2 and up

Perfect for the start of the year in Spanish 3 and up, as preterite tense is used

YES, this is meant for the very start of the year in Spanish 1! Focus on COGNATES and common words 🙂

I love these activities because on the first days of school, students don’t know one another quite yet and are often a bit timid. These activities offer a lot of input and help build their CONFIDENCE in the language, so they know they will always be supported to participate without judgement in our class. If you’re interested in editable versions of this activity, you can see those here.

#3 Todo Sobre Mí >> EASILY ADAPTED AS A Start of Year Project

If your school embraces project based learning, this project is a great way to start the year in Spanish 2 or Spanish 3. Since the project is completely editable, you can adjust the requirements to cover what your students have learned in past years!

It is set up as a project for the end of the year in Spanish 1, but each year I tweak a few small things and use it with my upper level classes to get started and to get to know them 🙂

I love using this as a way to get my students involved and engaged with the language from the very first days of school. It also helps me gauge where each student is in regards to curriculum and communication expectations.

#4 Student Survey and Goal Setting

These last two activities are a MUST for me during the first week of school. They are both completely editable and can be adjusted to meet the needs of your unique classes.

I give this survey every year to get to know my students from the start. During a normal school year, I give this in between activities within the first few days to give students some quiet time during the overwhelming first week. I always give them time during class to complete this (and honestly I offer plenty of time, around 20 minutes) because I want them to know that I take their answers seriously. I value what they share with me during this first encounter. I used to give this as their first homework assignment, but I didn’t get detailed or thoughtful answers.

During a typical year, my students complete these self reflections 8 (!) times throughout the year.

At the very start of the year, it is a great way to set a baseline and expectation for students to consider their proficiency within the language as they grow throughout the year.

I also think it is a great reminder that there is no “end” goal – but that we are all learning and progressing in the language at different rates and in different ways!

Before you go…

Looking for more digital friendly ideas to start the year?

and even more ideas for the first week of school!

Have a GREAT start to the year, Profe!

The post 4 Back to School Ideas to Engage and Get to Know Your Students appeared first on The Engaged Spanish Classroom.

4 Templates to Support Proficiency Based Assessments in Spanish Class

Erin Coleman — Thu, 21 Apr 2022 18:56:11 +0000

Proficiency Based Grading in Spanish Class

Over the past few years I have worked really hard to shift my mindset from traditional teaching and assessing to a more proficiency based approach. I even offered a PD session this past summer through the World Language Teacher Summit on the topic – and this reinvigorated me to dive even deeper this year!

I truly feel that my lesson planning and teaching practices have improved greatly with this shift in approach to teaching the Spanish language. This year, it was time for me to focus on my assessments specifically. No more 4 page quizzes with verb conjugations, charts, and disjointed sections trying to hit all of the things.

Instead, I have broken down my assessments to match my grading categories. My grades are 30% interpretive, 30% interpersonal, and 30% presentational. The final 10% is self-graded by my students. You can see more about this approach in this blog post.

So, what do assessments look like now? Read on to see some examples, and my first editable set available on TPT!

You can see my first ready-to-go pack of proficiency based assessments right here!

This pack is focused on La Vida Escolar for a Spanish 1 class.

I have had a few teachers tell me they grabbed this resource even though they don’t teach Spanish 1- they plan to use the resource as a template for their own classes (and one department chair for her whole department,) thank you for sharing that excitement with me! I’m glad you’re finding lots of ways to use my resources, even if we teach different content! 🙂

Read below about each assessment and what I have included!

How are these assessments designed?

There are four pieces to this assessment, evaluating the three modes of communication.

Assessment #1 Interpretive Reading

Assessment #2 Interpersonal Writing (can be easily adjusted to be used for speaking instead)

Assessment #3 Interpretive Listening

Assessment #4 Presentational Writing

INTERPRETIVE READING AND LISTENING

There are two assessments for the interpretive mode included in this resource. The first is a reading passage followed by true/false questions and short response questions in English. Then, to get creative, there is a short drawing section. You can keep the drawing section simple (like I have) or you can challenge your students to draw a scene from the reading.

The interpretive listening assessment provides a script for the teacher followed by ten true/false questions in English. I personally record myself first, but it’s up to you! I have included a recording of myself if you’d like to use it with your students!

INTERPERSONAL WRITING

This is a new style of assessment I started giving this year. Students are directed to choose 5 out of 8 interpersonal questions.

This IS interpersonal because students are required to interpret the Spanish questions, then provide their answers (also in the target language.) If there is interpretation happening on both sides → it’s interpersonal!

Again, since everything is editable, you can make any adjustments you’d like! This can be completed ALOUD as well, for interpersonal speaking.

PRESENTATIONAL WRITING

This writing prompt offers student supports / helpful phrases to help them write as much as possible.

I didn’t used to give a lot of support during writing assignments, and expected my students to remember everything perfectly. This year, I’ve start offering support pages or just support phrases like I did here. What I’ve seen is a LARGE INCREASE in their output!

There is a simple grading rubric provided at the end as well, but you can always use your school’s performance rubric if you prefer. Just edit the document and make any change you’d like!

And the best part? It’s all EDITABLE!

Make any adjustments you need, and use it from unit to unit. I’ve already heard from one teacher (thank you!) that purchased my first set even though she doesn’t teach the school unit. She wanted to use my setup moving forward, and grabbed this as an example to get her started.

I will work on other units in the future, but wanted to share this layout and setup so that you know what to expect if you see any other proficiency assessment packs from me. Since having baby #2, I’ve been focusing on my own family and my own students, but hope to work on lots of resources to share with you this summer.

Before you go…

I want to support you making the leap to proficiency based planning and assessing!

I designed this editable checklist/assessment tracker to help you keep track of your planning and to help you assess the various modes equitably. This tracker will help you visually track your planning and your students’ progress in the interpretive, interpersonal, and presentational modes. Watch the walkthrough video below to take a closer look!

Want more proficiency based resources from me, including free resources in your inbox? Sign up below!

The post 4 Templates to Support Proficiency Based Assessments in Spanish Class appeared first on The Engaged Spanish Classroom.

Professional Development Opportunities and Resources for World Language Teachers

Erin Coleman — Sun, 17 Oct 2021 18:37:03 +0000

Upcoming PD for World Language Teachers: World Language Teacher Summit 2021

I am so excited to present at the 2021 World Language Teacher Summit! This is an exciting virtual conference that will be coming to you for FREE from October 18th-22nd!

You will have access this week to 32 sessions from 35 World Language experts – how could it get better than that!?

I am grateful to have recorded my session on Purposeful Grading prior to the conference, as I am currently home with my three week old son 🙂 and I can’t wait to relax and soak in all of the great info from the sessions this week!

I know you will love what we have in store for you during this FREE professional development!

WLTS 2021: Sessions I am most excited about

My session on Purposeful Grading, which dives into my transition from a traditional grading style to a more proficiency based grading approach, will be available for FREE for 48 hours – October 21st and October 22nd!

If you liked this blog post, you won’t want to miss my session!

I am also VERY excited about these sessions, all by world language teachers that I admire!

Using Stories to Aid Language Acquisition by Carolina Gómez and Valentina Correa – Oct 18+19
Mix It Up With Music by Allison Wienhold – Oct 20 + 21
Teaching CI With a Textbook by Ashley Mikkelsen – Oct. 21 + 22
Valuing Every Student’s Participation by Diego Ojeda – Oct. 22 + 23

These are the MUST-sees for me, but there are so many more that I want to catch as well! Sign up for these free sessions today!

Resources:

Do you want access to the resources for my presentation TODAY?

Download your free playbook for the 2021 WLTS here, or get my presentation and resources in your inbox and from my member library by joining my newsletter below.

NOTE:

The WLTS links provided in this blog post are my affiliate links. If you later choose to make a purchase associated with this free conference, I will receive a portion of your purchase. I truly appreciate your support!

Have fun, Profe!

I hope you love these sessions – get in touch with me to tell me about your favorites!! You can find me on Instagram or Facebook @theengagedspanishclassroom, and on Twitter @engagedspanish !

The post Professional Development Opportunities and Resources for World Language Teachers appeared first on The Engaged Spanish Classroom.

15+ Resources to Support Proficiency Based Grading in Spanish Class

Erin Coleman — Wed, 28 Jul 2021 20:38:24 +0000

Two years ago, a few of my colleagues made the leap from traditional grading to a more proficiency-focused path in our Spanish and other world language classes. It was intimidating to make the change (and I know not all teachers have control over their grading policies) but it was an update that was WELL worth our efforts.

After reading this post you’ll know exactly how we break down our new grading categories, and the many ways this change benefits our students. You’ll also see how this new approach has led to more purposeful and effective planning for my own classes. You will leave with many new ideas and a variety of free resources to try with your students.

Ready to dive deeper?

Be sure to enroll in my Proficiency in Practice course for access to resources, assessments, rubrics, demo videos, infographics, and more!

ENROLL NOW

Traditional Grading In Spanish Classes

Example of a traditional grading breakdown for Spanish class:

40% Quizzes
40% Tests
10% Homework
10% Participation/Classwork

This is the type of grade breakdown I followed for my first seven years of teaching. I was hesitant to change because I thought, “This is how it has always been done!”

As I watched my colleagues make the change to more proficiency based grading, I began to notice the glaring drawbacks of the traditional breakdown I was using.

Drawbacks:

Feedback: My grades did not provide valuable feedback to my students. “You have a low quiz average.” What does this mean? What valuable guidance does this provide?
Planning: My class grades were not supportive of a reflective planning practice. “Wow, a class average of 70% on that quiz.” A quiz that likely had 3 pages assessing varying skills. So, what did we need to review? How did this help me be a reflective teacher?
Assessment: I noticed that I was assessing arbitrary skills on quizzes and tests. I had conjugation sections, fill-ins… typical grammar-focused assessments that don’t focus on communicative skills.
Meaning: Did my student’s grades accurately reflect their skills? I realized that many of my graded assessments were focused on output, which was not appropriate especially for my novice learners.

As hesitant as I was to make a change (especially as I was pregnant with my first son and I knew I would be out on maternity leave for a portion of the year) I knew it was the right thing to do. And I am SO GRATEFUL that my colleagues motivated me to do so. My students were happy, too!

Purposeful Grading in Spanish Classes: A Proficiency Based Approach

I followed the lead of my colleagues and implemented a more proficiency focused grading breakdown. To be honest, I changed my syllabus just a few days before school started. I wanted to commit to the change and now allow myself the chance to back out! (Want to see exactly what it looks like? You can grab an editable copy of my Spanish class syllabus!)

The new grade breakdown focuses on the modes of communication:

30% Interpretive
30% Interpersonal
30% Presentational
10% Study Habits

Right away, I noticed that the drawbacks of my previous grading practice had been turned into benefits that would support not only my students, but myself and my teaching practice.

Benefits:

Feedback: I can now say to a student, “You’re doing amazing with your interpretive skills, now let’s add some extra interpersonal practice!” This is directly connected to their language skills vs. the vague “You did well on that quiz.”
Planning: It is very easy for me to see the areas each class needs to work on! Low interpersonal grades? Let’s add in some Citas Cortas conversational activities this week.
Assessment: My assessments actually have a FOCUS and MEANING. Instead of conjugation quizzes, my assessments consist of more real-world communicative examples.
Meaning: When my students look at their grade, they can immediately invoke the meaning and value in their skills. Instead of arbitrary categories, they know the exact value and reason behind their grades and can more accurately monitor their own progress. These rubrics developed by my colleagues, the entire MHS world language department (adapted over years from various supports such as ACTFL) have truly helped guide us in this process. Please see the special notes at the bottom of this post for more info about these!

Now that you have seen the new grading breakdown and heard a little bit about the immediate benefits, I want to offer you some extra support, FREE RESOURCES, and ideas for each mode!

The Breakdown

So, now that we have our grading scale. What do we do with it? How do we plan to practice and assess each of the four categories?

1. Interpretive Mode: 30%

FOCUS:

Comprehension and appropriate cultural interpretation of written and spoken communication*

EXAMPLES:

Interpretation of texts, audio advertisements, infographics, music, movies, and more

RESOURCES/ACTIVITIES TO TRY:

Taco Tuesday — tutorial + free resource for Present Tense AR Spanish Verbs
Leerrores — All digital and editable! Available interpretive reading resources
Sonidos Secretos — tutorial + free sample for Present Tense AR Spanish Verbs
Reading Passages — free resource for the present tense, free resource for the conditional tense, free resource for the future tense + more ideas from me
Conversation Strips — available resources
Interpretive Assessment Examples — check these out to see how I format my assessments!
Listening/Reading Template (for practice or assessment) — Keep reading to get access to this set of editable templates and more additional free proficiency based resources from me!

Taco Tuesday is one of my favorite resources to use with my students to practice the interpretive mode of communication: I love how adaptable it is for any unit, and that it is ready for in person and digital game play! You can see all of my Taco Tuesday games as well as editable templates with five game board sizes!

Sonidos Secretos brings SO MUCH FUN into my class each time we play! And my students don’t even realize how much practice they’re actually getting with the target language! I have editable templates available for this activity as well.

Leerrores is a great confidence builder that offers a LOT of comprehensible input, as well as extention activities for students. Every set is digital and editable, with student and teacher copies included.

Conversation strips are a great way to practice interpretive skills even during a quick warm-up.

2. Interpersonal Mode: 30%

FOCUS:

Active negotiation of meaning, often including adjustments or clarification*

EXAMPLES:

Non-scripted conversations, open-ended class discussions

RESOURCES/ACTIVITIES TO TRY:

Citas Cortas speaking activity — tutorial + free resource for Spanish Introductions
Text Conversation template, and
Chispas speaking activity — Get access to these additional free proficiency based resources from me!

Want your own editable copies of these interpretive and interpersonal resources?

3. Presentational Mode: 30%

FOCUS:

Creation of message that stimulates interpretation without opportunity for negotiation of meaning*

EXAMPLES:

Written reports and presentations, rehearsed spoken presentations

RESOURCES/ACTIVITIES TO TRY:

Presentational Projects for Spanish Class
Structured Speaking Activities — Free Cacto Conversación for Spanish AR Verbs, Free Llama Mía Game for Preterite of Spanish AR Verbs
Open-Ended Writing — Free restaurant writing prompt
The Chispas speaking activity above can absolutely be adapted to work as a presentational speaking assessment, if students are able to prep their speeches/contributions ahead of time!

These Spanish class projects are my go-to assessments each year for the various levels of high school Spanish that I teach.

I have made sure that each resources is completely editable as well as digital-friendly, so that you can truly adjust to meet your unique class needs.

I hope you find some inspiration for your next presentational assessment!

I also have Spanish project templates available if you’d like to design your own, with all of the elements that I like to include (student drafting space, teacher example, student checklist, etc.)

4. Study Habits: 10%

This final category is where many teachers include homework, classwork, and participation. I honestly stopped giving homework last year and I don’t plan to begin again. I also do not grade much classwork; it is very rare that something would fall into this category rather than one of the 30% categories related to the communicative modes.

So for my students, this final 10% is based on their participation in class.

You may already know that my students assess themselves on their Spanish class participation. I was tired of trying to find an objective way to grade participation without feeling like the “good kids” always got the better grades automatically.

This (completely editable) student self assessment participation reflection / rubric has been my solution for the past 5 years or so, and I’ve never looked back!

Yes, this means that 10% of my students’ grades are in their hands. I have the final say in the grade, but I have found that my interference is very rarely needed.

We complete this reflection at the halfway point and end point of each quarter, which means we complete it 8x per year.

My students get used to this routine quickly, and I especially love that their reflections help me to consider adjustments to my own teaching practice. This is their opportunity to let me know what is working for them, and what isn’t!

I tell my students that if I agree with their self-given score within 5 points, I award them their grade. If I disagree with their score, we meet one on one to discuss our misunderstanding. I have only ever had to meet with TWO students about this.

Many students are harder on themselves than I would be! When this happens, we talk about self-advocacy and asking for what they deserve. “You gave yourself an 80, but I honestly would have given you closer to a 90. Next time, please consider giving yourself more credit for your hard work!”

I have had a lot of success with this practice, and I hope it inspires you to approach participation grades in a new way!

Why make the change to Proficiency Based Grading in Spanish Class?

PLANNING: My planning is more clear and purposeful
BUY-IN: There’s no more “why are we doin’g this activity?” from students! They KNOW why, because they are aware of the exact skills we are working on!
GROWTH: Students can observe their growth more clearly; and so can I!
AUTONOMY: Since there are no questions about students’ areas of strength and weakness, they are more able to take their learning and review into their own hands.
LANGUAGE ACQUISITION: I have noticed that increased buy-in from my students and better planning by ME has led to more engaged classes, and more long term benefits!

Special noteS

The focus of each mode that I describe above is interpreted from wording in ACTFL’s communication packet. I found this packet very helpful during my transition to a proficiency based approach!

When it comes to grading, my department worked year after year to develop a set of rubrics for our World Language classes to help guide us and our students throughout each year of their language learning. A few summers ago, I was asked to help format and streamline the scale on these rubrics for my department. I settled on a rubric for start of year, mid year, and end of year for each level, with a scale that adjusts as the year progresses. I received permission from my DH to share them with you, in case you’re wondering how we started! These rubrics are not my own, but from my wonderful department after years of collaboration and hard work.

Thank you for reading!

I hope you are leaving with new resources and ideas to support you in your proficiency-focused classroom this year. My planning is much more purposeful since leaving traditional grading categories behind, and I motivate you to take the leap! It’s worth it!

If you’re ready to diver deeper into ASSESSING for proficiency, be sure to check out this post before you go!

Do you have any ideas to share? Please comment below!

The post 15+ Resources to Support Proficiency Based Grading in Spanish Class appeared first on The Engaged Spanish Classroom.

5 Easy to Use Digital Activities for Spanish Class that your students will love

Erin Coleman — Tue, 19 Jan 2021 01:54:55 +0000

Digital activities are here to stay; but that doesn’t mean we need a million new platforms.

Finding new digital activities for Spanish class can be exhausting. We need them to be engaging, easy to use, and preferably ready to go!

While trying to balance our new normal, I can’t help but notice it feels like we are giving more of ourselves for less return. We are putting more energy into planning, contacting families, and learning new platforms. We are giving more, and seeing less of the rewards of our work. And I don’t mean that students aren’t working hard, or that it isn’t worth it. It’s just that it is harder to make our usual connections through a screen, and those moments that fill us up seem to be rarer; and therefore even more precious.

Teaching has always been demanding. But teaching in 2020 (and yes, 2021) is a whole new ballgame. I have stayed creating and utilizing resources within Google Drive since it is a place I feel comfortable. Rather than trying ALL of the new platforms, I am honing my skills and using what I know.

I know that it’s exhausting to plan different activities for your various groups of learners right now; many of us need one activity for the in-person students and another for the students learning from home. Not only is it hard to plan and keep track of it all, but it’s even more difficult to get these students to actually interact with one another. During the year when it matters the most, it’s the most challenging to build our normal sense of community.

What if it doesn’t have to be that way? What if we can engage ALL students, together, in the same activity? Can pairs and small groups can include a mix of “roomies” and “zoomies?” YES, they can! You’ve got this. And I’ve got you.

I’m confident that the 2021-2022 school year will look much closer to normal. My goal is that these activities will still be useful and relevant, and can actually continue to make our lives easier 🙂

Keep reading to catch a glance at the digital activities teachers are having the most success with right now. I designed each activity below specifically for this unique year but also with my eyes on the future. I hope you find something new to try, whether in person or hybrid in the coming school year.

First up: panal de preguntas

Panal de Preguntas is a digital game meant for partners or small groups, but can also be completed individually without the competition aspect.

Students play with digital game pieces and also type directly into the document. They have the opportunity to meet their own goals, but are also tempted to block their opponents along the way. Read more below!

I made this version of Panal de Preguntas by request! There are a handful of game sets in my store for the present, preterite, future, and conditional tenses, as well as some vocab-specific sets.

How to play: Students take turns choosing a space to claim. They click on the space and are brought to a prompt; they then type directly into the digital game to respond to the prompt! After answering (you decide whether to provide an answer key, check responses, or have peers be the judges), they move their digital game pieces to claim the corresponding space on the game board. Students work to get 3 in a row or diagonally, while also trying to block their opponents. Everything is done digitally so students can play with someone in the same room or with a student learning remotely! There is no trouble if one student is in the room while another is at home joining via a device.

I added a walkthrough video that was originally meant for teachers, but I’ve heard from a few teachers that they’ve been playing that video instead of going over the instructions themselves. I love that! Click here to take a closer look at the version shown above. You can see the editable versions of this game here (normal and GRANDE game board), and all of the ready-made versions I have for you are right here.

I always want to offer editable templates when possible so teachers can customize their own unique game boards again and again!

For Panal de Preguntas, I designed editable templates in two different game board sizes each with 8 design/color options. The original game board has 15 spaces. After hearing from a few teachers that their students had fun and wanted to play for a longer amount of time, I designed the GRANDE game board that has 24 spaces 🙂

I love that this game can be played by two students in the same room, or by students in different locations.

I hope you and your students have fun! Happy creating!

Taco Tuesday: a class favorite every year

What? Taco Tuesday is a DIGITAL game!? If you didn’t know… now you do! ALL of my Taco Tuesday games have been updated and are ready for digital gameplay.

You can still play each game on paper, or use the digital game pieces I have included along with the detailed walkthrough for digital gameplay.

To learn about playing digitally, visit this post!

And if you’d like to download your own copy of this Cognates version, sign up to get it delivered to your inbox (with other exclusive resources) below! You will also receive various support videos to help you adapt your games for your unique classes.

Taco Tuesday is a great activity because you can play for almost any length of time and you can differentiate for ANY level and skill set. I have a detailed tutorial for traditional play right here; try it out and see why my students love it so much each year! You decide the amount of target language use, the difficulty of the clues, the pace of the game, and more. It is so easy to differentiate between levels and adapt the game to engage all learners.

If you haven’t tried traditional or digital Taco Tuesday yet, what are you waiting for!? Again, you can read about how students play digitally right here, and find differentiation options and more ideas for traditional play here. Teachers have told me they love the digital updates because they can keep their Taco Tuesday tradition during an otherwise *very* unique year.

You can see all of the Taco Tuesday games I have ready to go, or take a look at the editable digital game templates if you’d like to make your own games again and again! The templates provide various game sizes for even more differentiation possibilities.

I have included walkthrough videos for digital play in every Taco Tuesday resource 🙂 If you would like more support and additional video walkthroughs for digital gameplay, you can sign up for my Taco Tuesday newsletter.

Every pre-made Taco Tuesday game has been updated and is completely digital ready. If you had purchased one previously, PLEASE download your free update to see these new digital features! Have fun!!

¿Mano o Manos? was designed with reluctant participants in mind

While this isn’t an activity that is truly digitally interactive like the others in this post, I believe it is still worthy of mentioning as it was designed for a digital / hybrid learning environment.

After struggling with student attendance (or visibility) during remote learning, I knew I needed a new approach to help students feel comfortable enough to turn their cameras on. ¿Mano o Manos? was my solution. It stemmed from a very simple idea, and became a very effective strategy.

With options for participating with cameras on or off, this activity focuses on INPUT with very low pressure output. My goal of course is more cameras on, but I always offer a cameras-off option for students who may not be comfortable.

¿Mano o Manos? is great for building confidence, sparking discussion, building a sense of community, and more. It can be used as an opener, a break break, or to seal the end of a class with a valuable discussion.

Mano o Manos was actually the first activity I designed to support students participating via camera this school year. The main idea is that students express their feelings about a statement/question based on holding up one hand or two on camera. The hand(s) they raise represent their answer chosen from options on the screen; OR, they hold up a closed fist to express that they have an additional answer to share. I love that students are given an opportunity for output, but without any pressure.

Let’s be honest; I know that students are very hesitant to turn their cameras on. If you are facing this struggle, you are not alone. I have heard from a few teachers on social media that this is the only activity that gets them to turn them on (!!!!) – my guess is because it’s so low pressure and provides lots of comprehensible input with very little demand for output.

For students who truly don’t want to be on camera, there is a *cameras off* option included in the instructions. (Students will just type 1, 2, or 3 in the chat rather than holding up their hands.)

You can see all pre-made sets here. I have editable templates available for this activity as well, again, because I know that teachers like to differentiate their activities so they are *just right* for their very own classes. I get it. I’ve got you. The templates have four different designs in case you’d like to differentiate between classes or units.

I hope this activity can help motivate your reluctant classes. It can of course also be played in person, with no need to change the instructions at all 🙂

Digital This or That: Enter Decisiones Difíciles

If you love IG like me, you’ve probably completed a few “this or that” story quizzes. They’re fun, quick, and interactive.

I decided to put a digital spin on this idea for Spanish class. in “Decisiones Difíciles,” students click and drag pre-made indicators to show their preferences on each page.

This resource is completely editable and like all of my other resources is completed in Google Drive. There is even a walkthrough video if you need extra support.

Decisiones Difíciles would be great as an opener or for fast finishers. I love that it offers a lot of input for students, with very low pressure for output. I find that when activities are structured in this way, my students are more likely to share their answers and contribute to our class discussion. When they are confident they aren’t being “tricked,” they feel safer to interact with the class as a whole.

Digital + Editable openers and exit tickets

I am noticing more and more that editable templates are what teachers need (and want). Templates mean you can truly customize for your own unique classes each and every year. You can adjust for specific vocabulary terms or phrases, and truly make the activities your own.

These editable openers and reflections provide a wide variety of options: multiple choice, quick reading comprehension, group discussion, and more. I know these will save you time every single week – and I see them being a staple after virtual learning as well.

I designed this template bundle to help teachers engage the students in class as well as the students at home. I know that balancing the two groups at once is hard enough; having ONE comprehensive activity for all learners is one way to lessen the burden for teachers.

There are 80 editable slides total – I have included options with locked aspects to protect formatting, or open formatting so you can add/remove options and REALLY add your own spin. I hope the templates save you time and help build consistency with your students during this year that has been anything but consistent.

Want to try some FREE digital openers? Visit this blog post before you leave!

You’ve got this, Profe

I hope these ideas can help you continue to incorporate digital activities into your lessons without feeling like you need to learn 800 new platforms in order to do so. As we return fully in person, social distancing may still be essential and I hope these digital activities can help you continue to have FUN while doing what you must to keeping your students safe. I think we can all agree this is the most stressful year for all teachers and students, and my goal is to take some of the load off your shoulders while creating activities that our students will enjoy. We need these small moments of joy.

Feel free to comment below and let me know how these resources work for your students!

The post 5 Easy to Use Digital Activities for Spanish Class that your students will love appeared first on The Engaged Spanish Classroom.

Try Digital Stickers in Spanish Class to Offer Feedback and Foster Stronger Connections

Erin Coleman — Sun, 20 Dec 2020 23:51:10 +0000

Student relationships are the most important part of my classroom every year. I greet my students at the door, I look them in the eye and speak their names every day with a smile on my face, and I let them know that they are important to me. Building better student relationships has been a game-changer for me when it comes to classroom management. Each year I feel I feel I have fewer classroom issues because I develop stronger and stronger student relationships. I remember veteran teachers telling me this when I started; and they were right! (Who knew!?) Read on to see how I utilized digital stickers to make connections with students during remote and hybrid learning, and how I’ll continue to do so as we return to a more “normal” classroom environment.

In this blog post:

Why I started using digital stickers
How to use digital stickers within Google Keep and Google Drive
Inserting and resizing digital stickers
Pre-made sticker options
EDITABLE Digital sticker options
Video tutorial for designing your OWN digital stickers

How do we foster connection when feedback is digital?

2020 threw a wrench into my “making daily connections” plan. That spring I found myself yearning to connect with my students in any sort of way that resembled our face to face interactions. My students didn’t want to turn on their cameras, and many didn’t come to class. I didn’t blame them one bit. This spring was scary, and we were in a world that was new to all of us. None of us asked for it; especially the children.

In all of the chaos, I was fighting to make some sort of connections with my students whether they were coming to my live classes or simply submitting work from behind a silent screen. One small action that helped me? Out of nowhere, digital stickers. My students were suddenly replying to my emails and my Google Classroom comments! Instead of three comments by me, talking to the void…. I was getting responses! “That llama was so cute I showed it to my mom!” and “Oh my gosh I know what that sticker said!!”

Digital is here to stay

As we start to return back to “normal,” I know that I will keep some of the digital updates that 2020 brought. I won’t lie – this past year forced me to learn new skills, try new things, and change my perspective. It wasn’t ALL bad.

There are many new digital tools that have made my life easier, and helped me with organization.

With an increase in digital work comes an increase in digital feedback, and I’m glad I found a way to continue to make connections in that process. These stickers are sure to keep putting smiles on my students’ faces 🙂

Small victories are still victories!

The small action of designing digital stickers helped me not only because they made my students smile, but because I found that I LOVED creating them. As 2020 was increasing in horrible speed and scale, I needed to hold onto anything that was bringing happiness. I realized that digital stickers were doing that for me and my students at the same time, and I was IN! So, I spent a lot of time over the summer designing more and more. My student had complimented my llama sticker? Ok, let me make 10 more. Another student loved rainbows. Ok, I’ll make enough for the year for her. One teacher even sent me a message requesting stickers with flags for Spanish-speaking countries – amazing idea! I hunted for the perfect clipart, and finally found some.

I had so much fun designing the digital stickers that I have so far, and I know I’m not done 🙂 Because they felt like a small victory for me and my students earlier this year, and small victories are STILL victories.

Want free stickers?

Join below and get instant access to a set of free stickers in my members library!

How to use stickers with Google Keep

I wanted to share this quick tutorial video to show you an easy way to store and use your stickers. The video also shows how to move, resize, etc. I have included tips below the video as well. I hope this helps!

Inserting and Resizing Digital Stickers

In the video above, you see me click and drag a few digital stickers from Google Keep into my student’s document. I want to remind you that you can do this from any desktop folder as well! Wherever you choose to store your digital stickers, you can click and drag or paste them into any document within Google Drive.

Please note:

*Google Docs will limit your formatting ability — it might break up text or push items onto another page

*Google Slides is much more flexible, and that is what you see in my video. (I prefer Google Slides, always!)

Want to resize, but worried about losing the shape/quality of the image? Make sure you hold SHIFT as you are resizing, and always resize from a corner! I should have mentioned that aloud in my video, but you can hear a loud *click* each time I am resizing an image. That is the sound of me hammering the shift key so that I don’t risk losing the proportions of my image 🙂 Try this next time you’re resizing any shape in Google Drive!

Want to see more?

You can see ALL of my pre-made Spanish digital stickers right here for a discount! There are already over 200 included in that bundle. Or, click below to see my favorite digital sticker sets. I hope you and your students love them.

Super cute Spanish Coffee Cup Stickers
My favorite Spanish Llama Stickers
Sweet Spanish Pineapple Stickers
Bright and cute Spanish Watermelon Stickers
My most POPULAR set Spanish Cute Stickers
Perhaps the most useful (and made by special request) Proficiency Stickers

I have stickers in Spanish, French, and English!

easily personalize stickers for your students

I wanted to design options where you can add student names, fun phrases, or inside jokes that you have with your classes! I decided to make these editable digital stickers so you can do just that.

The message on each sticker is completely editable! You can change the text, change the font, and change the text color and size!

The graphics and the background colors are the only pieces of these stickers that are static and cannot be changed. I hope you have fun, and that your students love them!

Or… learn to design your own!

I created all of my stickers in Google Drawings. Google Drawings is a GAME CHANGER because it saves your shape with a transparent background, which is key for creating digital stickers. I have seen many teachers suggest you use a website to remove the background from your image… but that step is NOT needed when working in Google Drawings 😉 I recorded this short walkthrough below to show you how I design digital stickers, from start to finish. Have fun!!

Having trouble viewing the video above? Click here to watch it in Google Drive.

Thank you for reading!

I hope you’re leaving here inspired to try something new. You’ve got this, profe.

The post Try Digital Stickers in Spanish Class to Offer Feedback and Foster Stronger Connections appeared first on The Engaged Spanish Classroom.

5 Digital Friendly Resources to start the year right in Spanish Class

The Engaged Spanish Classroom — Fri, 04 Sep 2020 19:16:00 +0000

It turns out that not all changes from 2020 were bad! I find myself creating more digital activities for my high school Spanish students, which has helped me stay organized (and save paper and resources!)

You can read about my typical back to school activities here, but keep reading to find additional digital-friendly ideas to support the start of the year in your Spanish classes. These are all resources that I use within the very first week of Spanish class (at any level I teach.)

Activity 1: Digital / Editable Back to School Survey

Within this download, you’ll find:

a PDF version, ready to print and go
an editable Google Doc TM version
an editable Google Form TM version

To give students a break during those first busy days, I like to give the survey during the last 20 minutes of class and offer to answer questions for any students that have those first week jitters. I definitely suggest making it a part of your class time, so that students aren’t needing MORE screen time once their classes have ended for the day.

I have learned so much about my students by using this survey in past years. By asking them their preferred name and offering a space to share pronouns, you show your students that you value their identity. This may seem inconsequential but I promise you that it is very meaningful. By asking about their motivations for learning Spanish, you may spark their enthusiasm for your content. By asking about a student’s outside responsibilities, you may learn why a specific student has their head down or seems disinterested. Honestly, opening these lines of communication from the first week can have lasting effects throughout the entire school year.

Sharing with students: This survey is editable within Google Drive. This means they can type their answers if you share a force copy link with them; they may delete the lines as they go. With iPads, students can write directly on the document with a program such as Notability.

To share a force copy for any Google Drive document:

Step 1 grab the normal sharing link, and set sharing settings to “anyone with the link can view”.

Step 2 find the end of the link that starts with “edit” or “view” and delete that word as well as anything that follows.

Step 3 write the word “copy” in that place.

Step 4 TEST the link for yourself! Does it prompt you to make a copy? Great!

Activity 2: Taco Tuesday – now ready for digital play!

This is a game I ALWAYS play within the first few days of school. I love bringing games into my classroom, and I feel that competition often brings out a more relaxed and silly side of my students. I have “back to school” versions for Spanish 1, Spanish 2, Spanish 3, and Spanish 4. I love playing within the first few days to prove to students that, YES, you remember a lot from last year. And for Spanish 1 students, I love proving that YES you know more Spanish than you might have thought!

If you decide to play on paper, 2-3 students can compete on one game board. My ideas and strategies for differentiation during traditional gameplay can be found here.

And now, the game is completely ready for digital gameplay! You decide which version makes the most sense for your class. Both options are provided in every single download!

All of my pre-made games (and my Taco Tuesday editable templates) are now READY for digital learning! I have pre-populated translucent circles on the side of the game board for students to play head to head online. Instead of racing to color their taco with a marker like they usually do, now they will claim a color and just click and drag one of the circles to cover their word! When they move one circle, there is a stack of more right underneath, ready to go.

For more detailed instructions on this virtual update, read more here.

Make sure you re-download any Taco Tuesday games or templates you already have for this FREE digital update!! I hope you love it. There are also now 5 game board sizes included in the editable resource, so you can create games of all different sizes!

Want access to a free game to try today?

This free version covers Spanish/English cognates, and would be a great morale booster in any level!

Other options:

If you are NOT ready to have multiple students working on one digital game board, I understand.

Instead of competing against one another, students can focus on their own game as you read the clues. You could prompt students to raise their hands I think this option would work best for smaller groups, so that students don’t feel overshadowed within the group.
Another way for students to play is by recording yourself giving the clues so that students can play on their own time. I tried this a few times during remote learning, and it went well. I would tell students that there would be 10 tacos, or 15 tacos during the round. That way, at the end they could count and make sure they didn’t miss a clue. The benefit of a recording is the students can also rewind and listen to clues multiple times, so you may feel more confident staying in the target language 🙂
Taco Tuesday at home: I made this version for Spanish STUDENTS to act as the TEACHER within their homes. During remote learning in 2020, many of my students sent me videos of their families playing. It brought joy to me, and laughter to their homes during a difficult time. I also made an at home version of Sonidos Secretos.
More ideas for differentiation within Taco Tuesday here.

Activity 3: La Silla Caliente

This is one of my favorite whole-group games, and it is one of the best morale-boosters for my classes! Students compete in teams of 5(+/-), and is a great opportunity to build a sense of community with new students at the start of the year.

I also love this activity at the start of the year because it is an easy way for me to gauge how EVERY student is doing after the summer vacation. It is a perfect way to assess how much review each class needs before moving on to new material.

For a full game tutorial, including game rules and strategies, visit this blog post.

I keep this activity in my back pocket at all times because it is so low-prep. My students just need their iPads/devices (or small whiteboards,) I need my game file, and we are ready to go. No printing, no handouts needed. Every game file also includes my digital score tracker that I designed… so now I don’t have to stand at the front tallying our team scores!

All game versions are now EDITABLE and ready for the digital world. Many teachers had success this year even playing via Peardeck and Nearpod, though I personally have only played in person. Still, I love activities that require nothing but the opening of a file and splitting my students into teams. Let’s go!!

The three examples below would be great for review or intro during the very first few days of class, depending on the level you teach!

Perfect for the first few days in Spanish 2

Great for review at the start of Spanish 3

Ideal for upper levels or native Spanish speakers

Want access to a free game to try today?

This free version covers the present tense of irregular Yo verbs – would be great for the first week in Spanish 2!

Activity 4: ¿Mano o Manos?

This activity is appropriate for in person, hybrid, or fully remote learning. Again, there is no prep needed. No printing, and no teams/grouping either!

In general, I love activities that get students moving! I love playing Four Corners or ¡Salta! where students express their answers or opinion with movement. In Four Corners, students move to designated corners of the room based on their answers. In ¡Salta!, which I learned from Allison Weinhold, students stand in a straight line and jump to the left or right based on their answer, then back to center before the next question. (Answers/options are usually posted on the board for students to see during each question.)

I created ¿Mano o Manos? as a way to incorporate this style of low-pressure and high-input activity withOUT needing to actually move around the room. Unlike in the other movement activities, students only use their hands/arms, and no movement from their seat is necessary.

The following versions were created with the beginning of the year in mind!

YES, this is meant for the very start of the year in Spanish 1! Focus on COGNATES and common words 🙂

Meant for the first few days of school, great for Spanish 2 and up

Perfect for the start of the year in Spanish 3 and up, as preterite tense is used

Activity Overview:

I don’t have a tutorial blog post specifically for this activity like I do for the others, so here is a quick rundown!

Teacher role: Share the PDF or editable Google Drive version on your screen. Each slide has one question or statement, with two options. Instead of being labeled A and B, or left/right, the questions will be labeled MANO and MANOS. (Questions should be low pressure with lots of FAMILIAR input, especially during the first week of school. For Spanish 1, teacher could have a note on the slide that says “me gusta = I like” and then use cognates with pictures throughout. Upper levels may need less support, but teacher can still provide support on the slides as needed.)

Student role: Students read the question, and show their answer by raising one hand or both hands based on their answer.

Teacher decides if there will be discussion after each question, or if it’s a REALLY low pressure game and more of a stream-of-thought pace.

EXAMPLES:

Prefiero beber… MANO – agua MANOS – soda

Me gustan más… MANO – gatos MANOS – perros

Me gusta más… MANO – el verano MANOS – el invierno

(leaving out obvious options here can prompt students to participate and take ownership in the activity by exclaiming “¡¿y el otoño!?!”)

In the student instruction page, I have added the option for students to raise one hand in a fist to show that they have a different answer to share – one that isn’t provided on the page. My goal is to prompt discussion/ownership here!

Activity 5: Reflective Language Learning from the start

During a typical year, my students complete these self reflections 8 (!) times throughout the year.

At the very start of the year, it is a great way to set a baseline and expectation for students to consider their proficiency within the language as they grow throughout the year.

I also think it is a great reminder that there is no “end” goal – but that we are all learning and progressing in the language at different rates and in different ways. I remind my students that even as a teacher, speaking continues to be the area where I need the most practice and focus.

Some students have an easy time identifying their strengths. Others need concrete reminders like this reflection. Personally, I need to be reminded to recognize my strengths. At the start of what is sure to be a difficult year, I think starting on a positive note could make a big difference. I also like that this reflection page gives students the opportunity to identify their biggest problem area – it could affect your plans for the following weeks. Maybe you notice a majority of your students express anxiety about their listening skills. How can you adjust your upcoming plans? Sometimes small changes can make a big difference in this way.

This reflection is completely editable so you can make any adjustments you’d like.

You will download your ready to print PDF, but have access to your own editable version in Google Drive TM.

For Spanish 1, you might consider adjusting it to be more of a goal-setting activity rather than a reflection.

I always plan to do this on a different day from my back to school survey. If you are teaching on a block schedule, however, this could serve as a mid-class break for your students. Or, it could be their exit ticket for the day.

Bottom line – however you welcome your students this year, you’ve got this!

I hope you can take something from this post and move through your first few weeks confidently. I’d love to hear if you try anything that works well for you! You can contact me via this page, or find me on social media. I’m most present on Instagram, and I love collaborating with you there! Feel free to tag me so I can follow you back, @theengagedspanishclassroom.

Thanks for reading and remember to take care of YOURSELF! Your students will be better for it.

Go get ’em, Profe!

The post 5 Digital Friendly Resources to start the year right in Spanish Class appeared first on The Engaged Spanish Classroom.

How to use beautiful digital notebooks and class hubs in Spanish Class

The Engaged Spanish Classroom — Wed, 02 Sep 2020 20:46:00 +0000

Digital Notebooks and Class Hubs have improved my teaching life for so many reasons!

I am more organized (and planning AHEAD instead of at the last minute)
My students know where to look to find their work, and also know exactly where to submit!
Student work isn’t getting lost! (or forgotten..)
Parents have a quick place to check-in!
Digital stickers make my students smile – which makes ME smile.

When I first started designing and using class hubs and digital notebooks, I was super intimidated. It honestly took longer than I’d care to admit. SO, I wanted to take all of the design work out of the process for you!

All you have to do? Customize the text of your hub / notebook to match your unique class needs for each unit. Easy peasy!

I have added a few photos and videos throughout this post, so please feel free to bookmark and come back later for reference!

Using Digital notebooks in Spanish Class

A BIG victory – giving students one spot to organize all of their work!

These notebooks have the potential to become a digital portfolio. Students can personalize their notebooks with different clipart and fonts, and take ownership of their work.

You can have them share with you at the end of the week when they have finished their work, or you can prompt them to share with you from the start so you can observe and interact with them as they progress. No more opening 5-10 attachments per student… just one document that holds their work via text box, screenshot, video or audio file, or a link to work completed elsewhere in Google Drive.

I should note, these can be used independently of the Class Hubs. There is space within these documents to offer student instructions/resources; as I mentioned, I like to provide a LOT of options, and that is why I like using the Class Hubs for my end of things. You will learn more about class hubs later in this post!

Video Walkthrough

Click below to see a tour of my favorite digital (and editable!) notebook

Why do I use them?

I was tired of opening 5+ attachments per student per week, especially when some were simply a screenshot of an online score (Quizlet, etc.) It felt like I was spending a lot of extra time on my computer, when I was trying to limit screen time as much as possible.
Students are able to take accountability for organizing their own work
Students can visually see their progress throughout the week
I review student work within Google Drive instead of only through Classroom or another LMS (which sometimes can be glitchy or slow.)
I can organize student work easily in Google Drive folders, easier to navigate than some LMS

With the different sections it is easy for me to focus on my students’ proficiency levels
Can potentially be used independently from a Class Hub, meaning student needs just this singular document for the week/unit! (I am too wordy to use just one, but maybe you can be succinct enough to make it work!)
Can be used as a digital portfolio and saved throughout the year(s)
I can easily add digital stickers to show my students I care about them even when I’m not seeing them face to face every day
I can easily provide feedback within the document
Students are familiar with Google Drive and are easily able to work within this document rather than frequently changing LMS and expectations

How do I use them?

Digital Interactive Notebooks, also created and edited within Google Slides, offer yet another accessible way for me to communicate with my students. While I use the Class Hubs to provide student work and options, I plan to use these Digital Interactive Notebooks to help students organize their work for me.

Students will be instructed to insert their work into their digital notebook each week. They can do this by adding screenshots (Quizlet etc.), by typing directly into the document, or by linking to an outside document within Google Drive. They can even insert video and audio files easily! All of their work, of different files and formats, can be organized together in one place.

I can’t wait to motivate students to decorate their notebooks! They can add clipart/images to the front cover. They could also easily change the fonts on the cover or within each page, to truly make it their own.

Each inner page of the notebook has space for teacher resources/instructions, student work, and teacher feedback. I love that I can provide feedback for my students directly within this document. Throughout the week, I can view their progress and also easily add digital stickers to brighten their day.

Again, each of my templates provides detailed teacher instructions for editing and sharing with students, as well as a walkthrough video. Detailed student instructions are also included here, since students will be editing this document within their own Google Drive and sharing back with the teacher.

*Student instructions provide reminders for sharing with teacher. Once students share with me, the notebooks are found in the “shared with me” folder and I can organize from there by class and unit. I plan to make my life easier by giving an easy title before pushing out to students: for example, FIRSTLASTNAMEunit1week1. Then, students will just change the name and share with me each Monday.

Take a closer look by watching the video below:

I love seeing all the ways teachers have customized these notebooks for their classes! Feel free to tag me on social media (I’m most frequently on IG) @theengagedspanishclassroom so I can admire your creations!

My notebooks are available in different colors, bundles (with stickers,) and more.

I have Digital Notebooks currently available in English, Spanish, and French.

I have various themes available in Spanish, such as Rainbow, Blue, Pink, and Papel Picado.

Interested in free digital stickers to try with these resources? Access these and additional free resources today!

Using Digital Class Hubs In Spanish Class

I have been using Class Hubs sporadically over the past few years, but distance learning led me to use them each week and with a redefined purpose. You can download a free Spanish version here. (Free French version here.)

Video Walkthrough

Click below to see a tour of one of my editable Digital Class Hubs, and see how it differs from the digital notebooks above!

Why do I use them?

Everything my students need is in one place
I can provide instructions, student choice, and resources
No more scrolling to find specific posts within our LMS (“Wait, what day did you post that one?”)
Students can save a copy directly to their drive (or device) for easy access
The consistent format lets students know what to expect each week. I can change the categories and the contents, but students don’t blink. They understand where to look and what to look for.
The consistent format helps ME plan, and helps me see visually that I am in fact doing “enough” (this is something I struggle with.)
The easy to edit templates make it very easy for me to create and share each new hub with my students
Google Slides is a platform where I already work confidently; I can edit and update with just a few clicks and there is no need to learn something new like Google Sites
These versatile documents can be used for everything. I have used them for parent night, distance learning, my teacher portfolio, and more.
Class Hubs are interactive like a website, which makes me feel tech-savvy and awesome 🙂 if I’m being honest!
Again a moment of honesty, I love things that are visually appealing! These fit the bill for me.

Students quickly became used to this format during distance learning, and I am confident I will continue to use these even in a fully in person setting. The consistency helped keep both myself and my students organized!

My students told me they liked that they knew what to expect each week – they knew where to look, and they knew what type of options they would find. They also told me they liked that they could see their work ahead of time, so that they could budget their time throughout the week. I understand this final part might not be appropriate as we move toward our more traditional schedule, but it is an added benefit that students can pace themselves. Utilizing these has reminded me how much students enjoy having CHOICE.

How do I use them?

The most important thing to know is that all text is editable, so you can customize this document to your heart’s content.

Class hubs are a way to provide all of my materials to my students for the week or even for the unit. Personally, I like to use them one week at a time. This allows me plenty of space to provide for student choice, which is especially important during distance/hybrid learning. In the spring, I had far more work completion from students when there was student choice involved.

On the main page of the Class Hub, there are categories for the week or unit. On any given week, I might have the following; Openers, Homework, Unit Goals, Extra help.

During remote learning, my Class Hub was set up more like an interactive choice board: Instead of categories like openers and homework, I had categories and asked students to choose two activities from each. Examples of categories I had: Online Practice, Vocab Review, Writing, Listening, Culture, etc.

Regardless of the categories you choose (limitless possibilities since all text is editable!) – each button leads to a separate page within the document. On these inner pages, it is easy to host your information and resources for students. I often provide links to videos, Quizlet review games, Boom Card sets, or interactive online activities. All text on these inner templates is editable as well, so you can truly make it your own.

There are detailed teacher instructions included with each template. These instructions will help you choose between various sharing options. (Do you need your students to see changes you make in real time? Do you plan ahead and want to provide the finished document only?) The instructions also guide you with making any changes you might need to make.

I have various templates available, as well as tutorial to help you build your own interactive Class Hub. Overall, the templates are easy to customize to ensure you’re adapting for your unique class needs. It takes just seconds to edit the category buttons, remove a button (though on my templates, the clipart is fixed), or add your own buttons.

If you feel inspired to build your own Class Hub from scratch, my tutorial is perfect for you. You work with one of my templates first, but I show you how I set it up step by step as you follow along in your editable workbook.

I have Class Hubs currently available in English, Spanish, and French.

I have various themes available in Spanish, such as Coffee, Llamas, Succulents, and Papel Picado.

And Finally, Digital Stickers!

Digital stickers are available in three languages, too! I have had so much fun designing these. Please watch the video below to see how easy it is to use them within Google Keep and Google Drive. You can then see a few examples of ones I have created. Try some digital stickers for free here, and be sure to access an ADDITIONAL free set linked earlier this blog post!

My students love seeing these stickers on their assignments! I love designing them, and I love providing feedback that makes my students smile.

There are versions available in Spanish, French, and English in my store, and there are editable versions as well if you’d like to personalize the stickers with your students’ names or other special messages!

Have fun!

Thank you for reading!

I hope you have found something to help you this year! If you know you’d like to use a Class Hub, Digital Notebook, AND Digital Stickers, you might want to check out my bundle packs here (again, available in English, Spanish, and French) as they offer these materials together, at a discount!

Have fun, Profe!

The post How to use beautiful digital notebooks and class hubs in Spanish Class appeared first on The Engaged Spanish Classroom.

3 Free Digital Resources to Help you Streamline and Organize in any class

The Engaged Spanish Classroom — Tue, 07 Apr 2020 21:34:00 +0000

I want to help you streamline your Organizational tasks.

Staying organized while teaching various levels of a world language is no easy task. If you are like me, you often feel overwhelmed by all the ideas, resources, and new things to try. I hope this post will help bring you back to center, and help you feel more calm and collected as you track your tasks, parent communication, etc. I use these resources with my various levels of Spanish classes, and they help me save time (and stress.) I developed these resources during distance learning but know they will continue to serve me well in the future.

These are the resources that have been the easiest for me to implement and have made the biggest difference for me personally.

Keep reading to gain access to free copies of the following:

Editable Digital Class Hub
Student Check-in Form
Class Communication Checklist

Google Drive is my Best friend

I hope that instead of overwhelming you, you’ll find that I have done most of the legwork for you by providing templates that will immediately create their own copies in your Google Drive. This way, you enter your own information and move forward seamlessly. You can learn more about these apps if you’d like to, but you also don’t *need* to right now. You can simply use what I have set up for you, and learn more about them later instead. (or.. never! I won’t tell.)

ALL of the resources in this post are free to my newsletter members! When you access them in my resource library you will have immediate access to your own copies for editing in Google Drive. Alternatively, the Editable Digital Class Hub is a free download via my TPT store.

If you have a moment and you decide to use my Class Hub, I’d greatly appreciate your feedback on TPT! Your positive feedback keeps me motivated to keep creating and designing new material to share.

Resource #1) Editable Digital Class Hub

The purpose of this class hub is to share ONE document with my students each week – yet it contains all of our activities and resources, as well as my contact information and expectations. This hub is created and edited in Google Drive. You then share with your students (I recommend sharing as a PDF) and they then use the document as an interactive website, so to speak. They click through the options or assignments for each day, and can access everything you have prepared for them from one document.

Your students will quickly get used to the interactive format, and you will be able to communicate with your students providing your plans and expectations in one single document each week.

I have various designs and more extensive template options for you on TPT! I created this specific one to support world language teachers during distance learning due to COVID-19.

Click the image to download your free copy!

Please feel free to share this French version with your colleagues.

Over 4,100 teachers are already enjoying this FREE resource. I hope it helps you, too! And since all text is editable, please feel free to share the link with teachers of all subjects. There are a few math teachers at my school who are using this exact hub! With multiple teachers using the same format, our shared students know exactly where to look and what to expect.

*Note* Since I share it as a PDF, I need to make sure the weekly hub is my FINAL draft before I share with my students. If you think you’ll make edits during the week, sharing the Google Slides file as “view only” with them works just as well; however, they will need to click “present mode” each time to use it as it’s meant to be used rather than just as a packet (which again, is fine!)

If you like the organization of the digital class hub, you should definitely check out the editable and digital notebooks I have designed as well. While the Class Hubs are meant for you to communicate expectations with your students, the notebooks help collect all student work in one place. Check them out by clicking the button below!

Resources #2) Weekly Student Check-In

I created this resource during distance learning because I wanted to make sure my students were OK each week.

As we return to in-person learning, I still want to be mindful about checking in with my students. I want them to know that I care about their health and safety more than my content.

This survey helps me check in with my students each week (or month, up to you). I also prompt them to fill out the survey as needed; outside of “assigned” times, I adjust the settings to receive an email alert when a student submits the survey.

The resource will immediately prompt you to make your own copy- you can edit, add, or remove questions as you please. You can then organize your students’ answers in one spreadsheet in Google Drive.

Personally, I like to create a new copy of the survey each time I give it, so that my student responses are collected on a new spreadsheet each time, which I label by date. I hope this helps!

Access this check-in survey and MORE through my Member Resource Library!

Resource #3) COMMUNICATION Checklist

I was originally motivated to create this during distance learning because I needed a way to track work completion as well as my communication with students and families in a way that wasn’t overwhelming to manage. Again, I know this will be useful for years to come even as we return to full time in person learning.

I created this spreadsheet to keep track of all my information for the week on ONE page per class. I have space to track when I hear from students, when I reach out myself, and space to track work completion. I can also track whether I have provided feedback on their work, and whether I have made attempts or had success communicating with families. I have made one sheet for you for each of your five classes; just change the block name and add your student names in the first column.

As we return to in person learning, I imagine I will use this spreadsheet monthly rather than weekly, or simply as needed.

Interested in more free digital resources?

Thank you for reading!

I hope you can find something here to take some of the weight off of your shoulders! Remember to visit my resource library to access your copies of these resources.

Since all of these resources are editable, I invite you to share this post with the teachers in your life whether they be Spanish teachers, math teachers, history teachers…. I hope these documents can help teachers in all content areas!

Talk to you soon, Profe!

The post 3 Free Digital Resources to Help you Streamline and Organize in any class appeared first on The Engaged Spanish Classroom.

SEMILLAS: My 4 Trusted Steps to Introduce Spanish Grammar in a Comprehensible Way

The Engaged Spanish Classroom — Mon, 06 Jan 2020 23:04:00 +0000

This post will interest you if you:

are interested in comprehensible teaching strategies
have to follow your school’s designated curriculum
still teach grammar, but hope to do so in a more mindful and purposeful way
want to help your students feel confident even when faced with a difficult topic
want to learn more about the process in my SEMILLAS Spanish Digital Interactive Notebooks
need ideas specifically for teaching the present subjunctive (however these strategies can be applied to any vocabulary or grammar topic!)

Do you teach grammar explicitly? Because… I do.

It might not be very often, and it might not always be the way that you think. I have found a balance that works for me and my students.

Comprehensible teaching strategies have helped many teachers absolutely transform their teaching styles. Teachers are more able to focus on the big picture; we are focused on what our students CAN do instead of what they can’t. We are providing repetition and increased input before demanding output from our students. We are far less grammar-focused.

From what I have seen personally, teachers are more confident in their lessons and students are more active participants in their classrooms.

Some teachers have completely changed their curriculum and taken on a full “comprehensible teaching” approach, while many of us have seen greater learning outcomes with incorporation of even just a few of these strategies. The truth is, the majority of teachers have a designated curriculum to follow. Some of us have flexibility to adjust our practices based on our teaching styles, and some have full permission to adjust the curriculum as they see fit. Personally, I have not had the flexibility to completely change my curriculum. Instead, I have adapted as much as I can to provide comprehensible input for my students while meeting the expectations of our existing curriculum. I am still finding new ways to incorporate comprehensible strategies every day. I am always learning.

My department has a textbook and sequence that we are expected to follow. Over the past 6 years in this district, I have slowly moved away from the textbook. I have created all of my own materials so that my students have not had to touch the textbook in over a year, however, I still must teach the themes that are covered within the textbook chapters. Yes, this includes grammar! I know many teachers may gasp at the fact that I still teach grammar explicitly, but I honestly love the current balance I have. These strategies have worked for me and for my students under our current curriculum as it stands. If change is coming to my department in the future, I will embrace it and find a new balance 🙂

If you are still reading, and you haven’t run away because I mentioned grammar, I will explain my favorite strategies below. I hope that some of these ideas can help you, wherever you may fall on the spectrum of teaching grammar explicitly vs. leading a completely comprehensible input-based classroom.

My strategies to make grammar more comprehensible

Just because I have to teach grammar doesn’t mean I have to teach it in the traditional way.

I do not have to make my students stare at examples in an outdated textbook. I do not have to make them take pages and pages of notes. I do not have to give them worksheets with conjugation drills. I do not have to lecture.

Instead… I can provide comprehensible examples from the very start that offer lots and lots of input. I can build their confidence and help them to think critically and make connections. And finally, I can provide them will practical options for output even from the very beginning!

For the sake of this walkthrough, I will use photos I happen to have from the last time I introduced the present subjunctive in my Spanish 3 and Spanish 3 Honors classes. These strategies can be used for any unit, but it helps me to speak about one specific example. That way I can show you photos, too! These photos are all from the very first day of our present subjunctive unit. They showcase some of my favorite ways to cover grammar in a way that I feel is mindful, comprehensible, and productive for my students.

If you would like to utilize resources that align with the strategies in this blog post, be sure to check out my Semillas Spanish Digital Interactive Notebooks. I designed these notebooks to be used in person or digitally – you can print them as-is, or students can type directly into the editable Google Slides document. All student workspaces and teacher examples are EDITABLE so that you can truly customize them to meet your class needs. You will see more about these notebooks later in this post!

SEMILLAS STEP 1: INTRODUCCIÓN

FOCUS: INPUT + DISCOVERY

When my students entered class that day, I had these example sentences on the board.

1) Me alegra que mis amigos me visiten.
2) Es importante que coma la fruta.
3) Recomiendo que duermas por 8 horas.
4) Espero que mis estudiantes estudien.
5) Dudo que Gronk juegue otra vez.
6) Ojalá que no tengamos escuela en julio.

My students had never seen the present subjunctive before. We had never discussed the use of “que,” the sentence starters, the changing ending vowels… any of it. They walked in to a brand new concept and I immediately expected them to read and examine it.

I asked my students to chat in their small groups about what they saw on the board (they sit in groups of 4-5 every day, you can see my post about seating and grouping here). I asked them to see if they could identify the verbs in each sentence, and I prompted them to look for patterns. What did the sentences mean? I asked them to make inferences. Who were the sentences about? Who was speaking? What patterns did they find? What did they think were the essential pieces of each sentence?

I walked around and listened to their discussions. After a few minutes, I stood at the board and asked them what they found. You can see the photo below to see what my students discussed. My students noticed the pattern of QUE being needed- they had me circle that in each example sentence. They noticed that there was a verb (sometimes with a subject, sometimes without) after the “que.” They had me underline those, because they knew those verbs must be important. The patterns looked different, yet familiar somehow. Why was that?

We also discussed the phrases before the “que”. Because of these phrases (and the cognates I chose to use), my students were able to infer the uses of this tense. We spoke about Ojalá, which they hadn’t seen before. That was the only word on the board that I had to explain explicitly. My students asked me to star that one, since there was no starting subject/conjugation before the “que.”

We discussed what happened to dormir, jugar, and tener in the examples. What did they notice? What might that mean about this tense, and how we use it?

(You can see some of my notes in green that were added at this point. My students remembered car gar zar changes, they told me that dormir proved that stem changes would apply in this tense, and they knew the “g” in tengamos must have come from the present indicative yo form. They KILLED it!!!)

We talked about the subject change in each of the examples, and what that might mean. So then, what questions did they have? How would we express a hope about ourselves? (Again you can see my example added in green at this point, Espero ir a México. So now, what was missing from this sentence? Why?)

We discussed A LOT aloud, and I wrote some things on the board as we went. I left these sentences on the board, with our notes, for reference for the rest of the class period.

SEMILLAS STEP 2: APUNTES

FOCUS: GUIDED NOTES + PREDICTIONS. Student-lead, with my guidance (in the background as much as possible)

I wish I took a “before” photo of the guided notes board, but of course I didn’t think of that. When we are in any grammar unit, I try not to provide my students with all of the notes. I also don’t want them just mindlessly copying out of a textbook. Instead, I do my best to provide a template on the board that we then fill in together.

My goal during this step is to say as little as possible; I try to ask lots of questions, and motivate my students to discover the language based on the examples we covered in the warm-up activity. I give a lot of wait time during this step- I ask probing questions and provide a lot of positive reinforcement, along with small clues disguised as questions. I want my students to know that they CAN do it. If they get really stuck on one part, I will of course help them. They get really excited, though, if they can fill in the notes for a BRAND NEW concept with so little help from me! I am always very mindful with the examples I use during the warm-up so that they can reference that activity during the guided notes section. I challenge you to try this, to see how your students impress you with patterns they notice and inferences they make 🙂

For this unit, I provided the following on the board:
I had the numbers 1-4 on the board for the conjugation steps, but the information was NOT filled in. (This section was labeled Los Pasos — it looks like my banner got erased to make room for other notes)
I had written 2 stars with space for 2 important tips, next to the space for the conjugation steps.
I wrote ar–> _______ and er/ir –> _______
I wrote out the acronym WEIRDO (just the acronym, not the uses) for the uses (Los usos)
I wrote the acronym DISHES for the irregulars. (Los irregulares)
I had a blank verb chart on the bottom left.

After our warm-up discussion based on the examples on the left whiteboard, I moved over to the right side of the room. I stood in front of this whiteboard and asked if any student thought they could fill in any piece of the template. Typically, I have students come up themselves and write in anything they think they have figured out. (This photo seems to be all in my handwriting though, so I must have asked for answers aloud this time.)

We started with LOS USOS. Based on the sentence examples we had already discussed, my students were able to decipher what many of the parts of WEIRDO stood for!

We then moved onto LOS PASOS – again, based on the examples, my students were able to help ME fill in the steps! I had to tell them very little. For example, because of the use of tener in the example sentences (tengamos) my students were able to discover that we *must* start in the yo form, because where else would that G come from? They also noticed the ending vowel change, and the common conjugation endings. I guide them in the right direction in these discussions, but they truly are figuring out so much of it for themselves. This makes them feel SMART and CONFIDENT in their language skills!

Then, I asked my students for their “go-to” verb. As in, what is the first verb that comes to mind when you are studying any tense? This class chose HABLAR. I asked them to follow the steps and tell me what the conjugations would be. I then asked if they noticed anything in particular — they told me to star the YO and ÉL form since they were identical.

After los pasos and the verb example, we moved onto the two stars. I said, what are two tips you think we should write based on the examples we examined? Those are the tips they came up with. If a class came up with more than 2 tips, I added another star!

Finally, we moved onto the irregular verbs. I asked students to guess the verbs based on D, I, S, H, E, S. Every class was able to guess every verb except for haber. I then provided them with the yo form of each.

**If you’d like a similar printed version of my guided notes, you can find those here. Be sure to check out the preview because it is slightly different from my whiteboard approach.

SEMILLAS STEP 3: EJEMPLOS

FOCUS: ADDITIONAL INPUT

If you have time here, and if your students need it, you may take the opportunity here to offer additional input. For me, it is usually a short reading passage that I have written myself. I make sure it is chock full of examples in the designated tense, just like the examples on the board (however, connected and cohesive rather than singular sentences.) I sometimes ask my students to do the same thing they were asked to do in the warm-up. Or, I may ask them to do a “Rainbow Reading,” where I ask them to highlight important sentence structures in one color (for this it would be QUE or sentence starters), regular verbs in another color, and irregular verbs in a third color.

I also love to have my students complete puzzles on the very first day of any topic (sometimes even BEFORE the warm-up sentences on the board!) An example for this unit can be found here, with various EDITABLE templates here.

This additional activity, if needed, should be input-focused only. I do not ask them to produce anything just yet- they are just reading and doing their best to interpret and examine.

One more option would be for me to provide additional single phrases aloud. After I provide the example, I could toss our globe (a soft ball) to a volunteer who could tell me the infinitive of the verb I used in the present subjunctive. For example, if my sentence was “Espero que no llueva mañana” the volunteer would say “llover.” “Ella quiere que no tengamos tarea hoy para la clase de historia” –> “tener”. This is a quick and easy way to provide LOTS more input in a short amount of time.

Already, after about 35-40 minutes, my students are much more confident. They have only seen this grammar concept for one class, yet they are talking with one another about patterns and nuances that they notice as they read (or listen). They feel like they are discovering the language. This helps them to be more engaged, and more active participants in their learning experience compared to how they would feel during a lecture or completing drills from a textbook.

** For extra input, you can see my best-selling reading packet here.
I also teach grammar through music as seen here and here.

SEMILLAS STEP 4: “¡SEMILLAS!”

FOCUS: STRUCTURED AND SUPPORTED OUTPUT. The goal is still to build confidence!

Our exit ticket on these days is always an activity that allows my students to communicate using the new concept, even though it is the first day!

On this day, I erased our examples from the warm-up on the left board, but left the guided notes on the right board for reference.

Where our warm-up once was, I quickly drew a flower and created my own example of what I hoped my students would create. For the sake of DAY 1 in the unit, my students and I focused on the sentence starter “Espero que…” (If it were later in the unit, for some reason, I would provide various options for sentence starters at the center of the flower.)

I had printed and cut flowers for each student before class. My example was ready and waiting on the board, and I read my sentences aloud. I then motivated my students to create their own flowers. They only had about 7-10 minutes to do this, but they were able to do a great job!

I found these flowers online by simply searching “flower template 6 petals.” You can find lots of templates of different sizes, and you can find different options depending on your unit or the time of year. For example, I sometimes use snowflakes. Sometimes it’s leaves, or it’s hexagons arranged to look like honeycomb. Sometimes it’s a clipboard with a checklist (perfect for practicing the present perfect tense, for example.) You can find a way to use any shape, any item, for writing!

Whatever the unit, I always try to find a quick activity that can help my students build confidence but can also be used as decor in our room. This serves as a reminder, through the rest of the unit, that “Oh yeah, we could use this tense on that very first day! We CAN do this!” This decor also becomes interactive- a perfect warm-up the next day is to have students walk around and read a few flowers, and share what they understand or what they still have questions about!

If you do teach the present subjunctive, you might be interested in my activities, assessments, and projects here or my bundle here. I hope you can find something new to try!

Timeline

I try my best to complete these activities all in one day, however it sometimes does need to be spread over two class periods. One class may need more time with the notes and review before moving onto producing the language. If a class asks for more input, I do not say no. If they want to slow down and discuss more as a class, we do so. If they want to create examples based on the ones I provided, we do that as a class before moving on to the individual activity. I want to make sure I am building their confidence from that very first day- I don’t want them to feel like “I don’t know what I’m doing.”

I hope you can use some of these strategies the next time you have to introduce a new grammar concept. Grammar doesn’t have to be the enemy, and I personally believe it can still have a home in your modern classroom 🙂

SEMILLAS – SPANISH DIGITAL INTERACTIVE NOTEBOOKS

These Spanish digital interactive notebook resources were designed to align with the strategies in this blog post. There are editable aspects so that you can truly customize for your unique class needs! The interactive notebooks can be completed digitally (via Google Slides) or they can be printed and used as-is.

SEMILLAS brings students through the four steps I outline in this post:

INTRODUCCIÓN: Students first read (editable) comprehensible example sentences and begin to explore the language, and record what they notice

APUNTES: Students make predictions about the language based on evidence from the INTRO page

EJEMPLOS: Students interpret additional comprehensible teacher examples (again editable!), and demonstrate understanding

SEMILLAS: Students create their own examples from our “semillas” and record any remaining questions they have

There are separate student and teacher copies included, with instructions and answer keys for support. Take a look at the video below to see what each notebook contains!

TAKE A CLOSER LOOK

Looking for free resources to try?

Thank you for reading!

I’d love to hear what you think, and what your favorite strategies are for teaching grammar in a comprehensible way! Let me know in the comments!

The post SEMILLAS: My 4 Trusted Steps to Introduce Spanish Grammar in a Comprehensible Way appeared first on The Engaged Spanish Classroom.

Build Stronger Connections in Spanish Class: 6 Easy and Effective ideas to try

The Engaged Spanish Classroom — Thu, 07 Nov 2019 20:00:00 +0000

Developing a positive classroom climate is something that has the potential to affect almost all areas of your teaching career. For me, developing stronger teacher-student relationships has increased student engagement in class and made classroom management easier. It has helped me to look forward to coming to work each day, and it has made me feel more confident as a teacher.

There are small steps that you can take to building a stronger classroom community, even if you only have a few minutes! It doesn’t always need to take time out of class, but it doesn’t need to take your entire planning period either. Small actions of student recognition can go a long way, and to prove it I want to share my favorite quick ways to strengthen my teacher-student relationships.

1) Positive Communication Home

I start with this one because it is honestly the one that can make the biggest difference in the shortest amount of time. You don’t have to make 20 positive phone calls at a time to make an impact. If you notice that you have an extra few minutes at the end of your prep period, make one or two quick phone calls. Choose one or two students that have stood out to you lately, whether it be for academic or behavioral/social reasons. Make that call home, and after the parent gets past their surprise that a teacher is going out of their way to call for a GOOD reason, tell them a little bit about why you’re proud of their child.

I say do it at the end of your prep period if you feel cramped for time, because you can limit your phone time. If the phone conversation starts to run long, you have a firm end coming. “That’s the bell and I have students coming in! I wanted to make sure you knew how impressed I was lately with ________’s effort. Have a great night!” I forget who gave me this advice, but it’s four stars golden advice. I have been on parent phone calls that run 20 minutes if I call at a time where I have no firm end. And I’m not trying to be rude, but we do not always have time to risk that. Sometimes there is a need for lengthy conversations, and sometimes a 5 minutes phone call is absolutely all that is needed.

If you make a positive phone call home, I can almost guarantee that the next day your student will thank you, whether it be out loud or just with a nod and a smile. Some students won’t be able to wait to see you to tell you. “My mom was so proud of me! She was so happy all night!” Sometimes it’s even a few minutes later. “My mom just texted me! She said we can go out to dinner. This is so awesome. You’re the best.”

I often try to make these calls during the day, but sometimes I do make them on my own time after school. When you do that, you take a good chance that the student will be WITH the parent, and you can hear the happiness spread between family members. One time, I was speaking with two parents on speaker phone for a few minutes about how wonderful their daughter was. At the end of the phone call, the dad casually said “The reason I put you on speaker is because Jeanne is in the car and I wanted her to hear how you’ve been noticing her efforts. She has been smiling from ear to ear for the past 5 minutes. Thank you so much for making our evening; we are on our way to dinner and now we have reason to celebrate.” It made my night. Maybe my year.

Positive communication home doesn’t always have to be a phone call, either!

Sending a quick positive email home can make a big difference in your relationships with your students and their families.

When you make these calls or send these emails, and how much time you dedicate to the task is completely up to you. 5 minutes can absolutely make a difference.

Please don’t feel like you have to spend hours on the phone to be a good teacher, because it’s not true at all. You do what works for you! And I promise even a few phone calls will make a big difference in your relationships with your students.

2) Recognition Certificates

Yes, even high school students like these. I promise.

At the end of each quarter, I will scan my plan book and see if any students stand out for certain reasons. Just a quick glance! It doesn’t have to take more than 5 minutes total for all 5 classes. Did someone participate every single day, more than once per day? Is there a student who has a 100% homework average? Is there someone who used to be late often, but was on time every single day this quarter? It doesn’t always have to be grade-related, and it doesn’t always have to be the same award. Also, I try to choose students who don’t usually receive recognition daily in class. I choose students that I think will really appreciate some sort of small recognition.

Once I choose two students from each class block, I quickly print out a little reward certificate I have made up. It’s very simple; just a cute chevron background that says “RANGER PRIDE” with a line for a student name, and a line for my signature. I have 10 printed in my desk drawer at all times. Once I have picked the students, I’ll write their names and get them ready on a Friday morning before school. During each class that day, I give them to the students so that they can start the weekend on a good note.

This next part is kind of hard to explain. Depending on the student, I may give the certificate in front of the class or I may give it to them quietly before or after class. It all depends on the student individually and whether I think they’d appreciate the more subdued recognition. Students love receiving recognition, but they don’t always appreciate it being a big deal.

3) Check-ins at the Door

I have talked about this in another blog post, but it bears repeating. I will leave my thoughts on this below, but you can skip to #4 if you’ve heard this already 😉

Each day I try to be outside my classroom door to greet students as they enter. It is a school-wide expectation at my school that teachers be visible in the hallways between classes, so that was an easy reason for me to start this tradition. We are expected to be in the hallways for the 5 minutes in between class blocks to supervise and be available to students. I teach in a school of almost 2,000, and hallways can get crowded! Teacher visibility helps to keep students moving toward their destinations.

At first, it felt like *just one more thing I had to do.* OK GREAT, I can’t use those few minutes to organize my desk, catch up on attendance, or write the warm-up. I was frustrated! It felt like wasted time. So I tried to find a positive way to use this time in the hallway. Instead of just standing there in front of my door staring off into space, I started to engage with the students as they walk by. I’ll talk to students I don’t know by asking a question or paying a compliment. If they’re wearing an athletic uniform, I’ll ask who they’re playing that day and wish them luck. It feels good to make connections!

As my own students trickle in, I make sure I greet them by name and ask how they are doing. It is actually a great way to check in with students without them knowing what you’re actually doing. If someone who is usually very talkative avoids my eye contact, I’ll know to take it easy on them that day. If my student who works at night looks really tired, I can assume she worked last night and I won’t give her a hard time about the homework. If a student seems upset in any way, I can assume they may have a lot on their mind and I will remind myself during class that any reluctance or hesitation isn’t because of me. And conversely, if a quieter student smiles and gives me a confident answer, maybe I will try to push them a little bit outside of their comfort zone that day. That first connection can really help you be mindful of your class environment that day.

Sometimes, these small interactions make a much bigger impact than we might think. Last year, during my “Hola Aiden, ¿cómo estás?” moment… my quiet freshman boy opened up to me. “Miss, I think you’re the only teacher that likes me. You’re my only teacher that talks to me.”

Now there are mornings where I’ll be chatting with my neighboring teacher as we greet our students. Even as we talk, I will stop mid-sentence with her to greet each of my students by name. She may think I’m a weirdo for wanting to do this, as sometimes I am stopping to say “Hola, Casey” every 30 seconds… but I really do think it’s a valuable way to check in with my students before class has even started.

4) Seek Student Input

Asking students their opinions is a great way to show them that you value them and their feelings. I give participation rubrics 8 (yes 8) times per year, where students have a chance to reflect on themselves but also give me input on activities at the bottom. You can see my example here.

I also give student surveys throughout the year. I ask them for their feedback, and I take what they say into consideration. These surveys helped me decide to have my students sit in groups. They also helped me develop my corrections policy and participation policy.

These surveys take just a few minutes out of class, but provide really valuable insight into how our students feel about our class, and what they expect to see.

5) Homework Passes

If I ever notice a student going out of their way to help another student, I try to pull them aside on their way out of class. I have homework passes printed in my desk, and I will quickly grab one and write their name on the back, then initial it. I won’t make a big deal of it and I make sure no other students are around, but I’ll quietly say “I noticed you went out of your way to support __________ today, and I really appreciate you. I wanted to give you this to say Thank You.” Students don’t always enjoy praise in front of others, but they almost always appreciate positive feedback 1 on 1.

*I stopped giving homework last year, but wanted to keep this option in this post for you!

6) Positive Recognition Notes

Students love to know that we NOTICE their efforts. There are so many ways to do this, but I love printing these small notes and keeping them ready in my desk. I hope you can take some ideas from my favorite examples below!

One quick way to recognize students is with quick positive sticky notes on their desk! I have some pre-populated notes that I can print directly on sticky notes and keep in my desk, so that I can grab them at a moment’s notice.

I have notes for participation, effort, and proper use of technology!

All I have to do is write their name on the line, and then I can quickly drop it on their desk without a word. If you want to see these examples, click here!

I also love printing these open-ended notes and keeping a stack in my top desk drawer.

These “abrazos de papel” are great for colleagues AND students! It takes just a minute to write a quick note, and the recipient is sure to be grateful you took the time to show them you care.

Thank you for reading!

Students will love whatever you do to show that you notice them and their efforts, no matter how you do it and no matter how much time it took you to put it together. If you spend two hours putting together awards, they will appreciate you. If you take 5 minutes putting something together or making 1 phone call, they will appreciate you. Showing students that we notice them and what they do each day is one of the best ways to show them that we care about them.

I’d love to hear if you try any of these ideas with your students. Feel free to comment below, or tag me on social media @theengagedspanishclassroom!

The post Build Stronger Connections in Spanish Class: 6 Easy and Effective ideas to try appeared first on The Engaged Spanish Classroom.

How to use seating and groups to your advantage in Spanish class

The Engaged Spanish Classroom — Wed, 09 Oct 2019 22:02:00 +0000

After some trial and error, I have discovered that I am a big fan of group seating arrangements. With classes that often reach up to 32 students, I find that small groups help me to better and more easily manage my interactions with my students as well as their interactions with one another. Below I’ll tell you a bit about why other arrangements didn’t work for me, and why I’ve stuck with small groups for 6 years!

Double U … not for me

My first year teaching, I asked for advice and I modeled the teachers around me. Some had rows, some had groups, but most had arranged their student desks in a Double U. So I followed suit and utilized the Double U for the year.

My arrangement had a bit more room in the center of the smaller U, but my back row of desks were about as close to the wall as they are in this photo. In my opinion, this arrangement works well for a teacher centered classroom.

It was easy for me to maneuver around the center of the U and support students in the first row. It was also easy for me to make sure I was the center of attention. For my first year teaching, I thought this was great! They’re all paying attention to me! Sweet that must mean they are learning! (Spoiler alert: I was wrong. The teacher being the center of attention does NOT equal better learning outcomes.)

Meanwhile, I soon realized that it was very difficult for me to get to students in the “corners” of the second row. Looking back on this year (8 years ago now), I find myself remembering mostly the faces of the students in the first U. I don’t love that! Was I able to pay enough attention to the second row? And also, I have since learned that I should not be the center of the classroom. It is not about me. It is about my students and they should therefore be the center.

With all of that being said, I should mention that I don’t remember if we kept the same seats all year or if we changed throughout the year. I have a feeling they stayed put. We also didn’t do much movement during class-time throughout the year, simply because it was so difficult to move around the desks. Once students were in their seats, that’s where they stayed. It wasn’t easy to rearrange desks quickly, and the space felt very cramped overall. Again, in my opinion this wasn’t ideal for learning.

I’m not saying that this arrangement can’t work for teachers. If I had a larger space, it may have been a great option for me. But because I personally felt like I couldn’t reach all students easily, because I was the center of attention (instead of students), and because movement was difficult… I know that this arrangement isn’t for me.

Small groups, definitely for me 🙂

My second year teaching, I knew I wanted to try something different. I knew I didn’t want to do rows, but I also hadn’t *loved* the Double U set-up. My second year teaching is also when I had my first class of 30, so I knew I needed to find something that would better support me and my students. I decided to try small groups of 4 and 5, and it quickly became my favorite seating arrangement.

I always have six groups; three groups in front and three groups behind. Depending on the size of my biggest class each year, these groups may have 4-5 desks. If a group only needs 4, I remove the extra desk that sticks out at the end of the group.

Overall, I have 6 groups of 4-5 desks depending on class size each year.

I love these groups for so many reasons!

It is very easy for me to move around the room.
Students always have someone to work with.
I have a good view of all students and feel that I have a better handle on classroom management because of this.
I can quickly make my way to a specific student without it being obvious that I am targeting them (if I need to discuss their cell phone, headphones etc. I can easily walk by their desk and tap on it quickly as I walk by, rather than shouting across the room at them…)
Students are the center of the lesson. I am not. I move about the outskirts and guide students but I am not the end-all be-all of the lesson, ever.
It is easy for students to quickly rearrange seats and work with different partners for Citas Cortas, Taco Tuesday, or other activities.
In larger classes, it is common for students to work together before coming to me for help, especially if they see I am working with another group.
Sometimes quieter students may not feel comfortable asking me something in front of the whole class. In this arrangement, it’s easy for them to quietly ask a classmate or ask me to come over to their table so they can ask me without drawing attention to themselves.
Even rearranging desks is easy because there is so much space between groups! We often push all of the desks to the side for Quizlet relays, or we circle chairs for a reading or a Maracas activity.
Student movement AROUND the room is easy, as there is space around the edge of the groups for us to hang Task Cards, Gallery Walks etc.
I feel that the small groups help build community and relationships between my students 🙂

Here is a photo example I found online: this shows both the groups of 4 and groups of 5.

I often have my groups at an angle, not quite facing directly forward as this chart shows. But you can find what works for you!

I love that this setup offers so many benefits for both myself and the students. I don’t see myself changing anytime soon!

Seating assignments

My students love to tell me that I’m the *only* teacher that gives assigned seats. But… they also say that to all of the other teachers I talk to 😉

At the start of the year, I assign seats randomly. I do this before I even meet my students, so sometimes I’ll find that I do have to move a few students within the first week or so. But overall, the random assignment works well for Quarter 1.

At the start of Quarter 2, I will assign new seats. I again choose the seats and students do not, however; I do try to take note of at least one other person that a student enjoys working with. If I know that two students are friends, I will put them together as long as I think they will work productively together. As soon as they prove that they can’t handle it, I quickly move them. I often find myself saying “Keep in mind, once I move your seat you will never be moved back.” This makes them think “Oh crap! I like sitting with him. Shh guys! Focus!”

For Quarter 3, I do the same thing. New seats and new groups, but I try to keep students with at least one person they enjoy working closely with. Keeping them with one friend keeps them happy, and then mixing the groups (quiet/outgoing when I think it will help, or quiet/quiet when I think — or know — that anxiety is involved, and strong/struggling students but mindfully paired, and even sophomores/juniors to help build cross-year relationships) helps me to build these pairs into groups of 4 or 5 that turn into a little community or team. I have had multiple students come into my room as strangers and leave as good friends because of our groupings. Last year, I received a card from a lovely student thanking me for “bringing my best friend into her life,” saying “It’s like I’ve known her forever.” I know this is dramatic and definitely not always the case, but that one example is enough for me to hold onto for now 🙂

For Quarter 4, I allow my students to choose their own seats. I shamelessly use this all year as a bargaining chip. When it’s the start of a new quarter and they’re groaning about their new assigned seats, I say “If you work well for Quarters 1 2 and 3 remember YOU get to choose where you sit for Q4!” And this somehow works. I also remind them to trust me, and I always promise them that I don’t really do random seating. I always put care into the seating chart (one can easily take ma 30 minutes) to make sure that they are somewhere that they will be comfortable.

*Requests*
When students are not satisfied with a new seat, I tell them that I take requests after class for very specific reasons. This request cannot be “I want to sit with ____________.” If they feel that they cannot see from their seat (which is hard with these groups since everyone has a pretty good eyeline of all activities) or they feel they cannot focus for any reason, they can talk to me. I then discreetly make changes without letting students know why I am making the changes. It’s not “Hey! Cory can’t see so we are changing seats!” It might be, “Hey Cory, you’re really good in this unit and Sean was looking for someone to review with. Do you mind if I move you to this group for now?” (Then I never change them back and everyone forgets about it anyways, and Cory is in a new seat where he feels more comfortable.)

It’s settled!

For me and my students, this system has worked really well for me over the past 8 years. I love that it’s easy for both me and the students to move around, and that there is room for different seating arrangements for different activities. I love that the groups are always ready. Pairs are easy to make, and classroom management has become easier. Student community building is stronger, and they are more engaged in my lessons. I could keep going! There are so many reasons that I love these groups, and maybe you will too!

Thank you for reading!

The post How to use seating and groups to your advantage in Spanish class appeared first on The Engaged Spanish Classroom.

management Archives • The Engaged Spanish Classroom

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Benefits:

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EXAMPLES:

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3. Presentational Mode: 30%

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4. Study Habits: 10%

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Activity 4: ¿Mano o Manos?

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